Comparing Pinots, Grenaches and Cabs from Around the World
March 22, 2004
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least one wine bigot. You know this
person, it's the guy who swears that the
only wines worth drinking are from
France -- or Italy or California -- and that
nothing else compares.
Now there's nothing wrong with having a
favorite country or region. I'm quite
partial to the red wines of France's
Rhone and any white wine from New
Zealand. But it's also clear that great
wines are being made all over the globe
and that trying to generalize an entire
country's production as good or bad
leads to nothing but trouble.
It was with the hope of comparing wine
styles from around the world that we
recently gathered 12 wine drinkers and a
dozen wines for a good old-fashioned
international wine shootout.
France and Australia
old world and new world wine regions. This ruled out country-specific wines such as
Nebbiolo, Malbec and Pinotage. So after starting with Champagne -- old world
Veuve Cliquot -- we started tasting Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Pinot Noirs were the first up. The first wine poured was the Matua Valley Pinot
Noir Marlborough 2003. This is a wine that is light in body and flavor. It was
pleasant enough, but not memorable. We then headed to Oregon for the Lange
Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2001. This wine showed considerably more character
with raspberry and strawberry notes. The third Pinot was another from New Zealand.
The Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Noir Marlborough 2003 was fresh and vibrant with juicy
cherry flavors.
Our last Pinot was a French Burgundy, a 1997 Beaune-Clos-Du-Roi from
Tollot-Beaut & Fils. The nose was still big and inviting, but this wine's age was
catching up with it. Dusty cherry flavors came on strong, but faded on the finish. The
wine's acidity was similarly subdued.
So which wine was the winner? Tasters were equally split between the Lange from
Oregon and the Lawson's from New Zealand. The poor showing of the Beaune
exemplifies one of the major risks in buying Burgundies. For every excellent
Burgundy there are several uninspiring wines and they are all pretty expensive.
mix-up among our tasters actually led to
two bottles of Tres Picos a Spanish
Garnacha. Unless you're in a very large
retail store, you're unlikely to have a big
selection of Spanish wines, especially
Grenaches. Fortunately the Tres Picos is
relatively easy to find due to its consistent
quality and a price under $12.
This wine has herb and pepper flavors that
are typical of Grenache, yet it still shows
plenty of ripe fruit. One taster identified the
bouquet as "pot." That announcement
prompted us to move the cheese and fruit
tray to the other side of the table. Tasters
across the board enjoyed this wine.
Israel's Golan Heights Winery
from the Southern Rhone. While the 1997 Burgundy had faded, this wine was still
big and concentrated on the nose and in the mouth. With earthy aromas and
brambly berry flavors, Chateneufs are perfection for wine drinkers who want big
flavors but don't want over-extracted fruit. Like most Rhones, this was actually a
blend of Grenache, Syrah and potentially up to 15 other grape varietals allowed by
law.
Our new world wine was also a blend. Tatachilla's 2000 McLaren Vale Grenache
Shiraz was 70 percent Grenache and 30 percent Shiraz. This turned out to be a
disappointment as I believe the bottle was slightly corked. While not blatantly
spoiled, it had taken on somewhat of a medicinal aroma. One taster -- guess who?
-- identified the odor as Band-Aid. These off aromas more than off-set a big-bodied
and juicy wine. Three-fourths of the tasters chose the Vieux Telegraphe as the top
Grenache, while the Tres Picos also was highly rated.
plus our Champagne starter and a
variety of cheeses. Our taste buds were
starting to fatigue as we moved to the
Cabernets and some of our brains were
a little slowed as well. As a result, I don't
know that our assessments were the
most accurate.
We started with 1998 Wolf Ridge Napa
Cabernet Sauvignon. Straightforward
with plum and black fruit, this was typical
of many California Cabs in the under
$20 category. It's enjoyable without
anything to distinguish it from the pack.
Crianza was the only one of 12 bottles
that tasters completely finished.
vintage was outstanding throughout Bordeaux. While this inexpensive wine is not
designed for long-term aging, it still was pretty austere and could use another two
years. Our last Cabernet was a surprise both because it came from Israel and also
because most of the label was printed in Hebrew. Cabernet Sauvignon and 1997
are the only non-Hebrew identifiers. Fortunately the cork identified the winery as
Golan Heights. This was an extremely spicy wine that was fully ripe and a little hot.
Tasters had mixed feelings. Some thought it showed pretty well while others quickly
dumped their glasses. All in all, none of the Cabernets were particularly popular with
our tasting panel.
If you've been keeping track, you probably noticed that I referenced a dozen wines at
the beginning of this story but have only described 11 wines. Our last wine turned
out to be a Spanish Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. One of our tasters was
running late and grabbed it from his own collection before running out the door. As it
turned out, we were very glad he broke the rules as it was the most popular wine of
the night.
The Lopez Cristobal Crianza 1996 was lush and ripe with herb and tobacco flavors
integrated with its fruit flavors. It had an extremely long finish that showcased its
subtle oak flavors. And while our tasters had lost focus during our Cabernets,
everyone quickly found their way back to the table for seconds of this Spanish beauty.
Like its neighbor Rioja, winemakers in Ribera del Duero typically age their wines for
extended periods in large barriques that impart toasty flavors without overly-oaking
the wine. Extended aging means you can find Spanish wines at retailers from
significantly older vintages than most other regions. And Spanish wines are
consistently good values.
The key learning of this worldwide tasting is that experimentation is good. Just when
you think you know where to find an enjoyable wine, you're disappointed by Australia,
pleasantly surprised by Israel and wowed by Spain. It's a small world.
